The woman approached Sychia, who moved towards the front of the group.
As she did so, the woman’s system information finally revealed itself to Izroth.
NPC Name: First Sword of the Thousand Blossoms, Sylvia(???)
NPC Level: ???
“Should we lend a hand?” Nomii asked.
“It is not our place to interfere. We must let her resolve this issue herself. If she is unable to do it, then… Well, I suppose her resolve only amounts to that much.” Izroth replied calmly.
The First Sword of the Thousand Blossoms—to Izroth, this title had no meaning. However, based on the way Sychia addressed her and the control she exhibited over her aura, it was safe to assume that Sylvia’s standing in the Order of a Thousand Blossoms was fairly high. Perhaps even among the highest.
The condition of Sychia’s master also seemed to have deteriorated. This meant that the chances of allowing an outsider inside the Order of a Thousand Blossoms were virtually nonexistent. If Izroth could not even meet with her to discover the core issue, how could he possibly cure her?
There was also the issue of Izroth’s youth, which in the eyes of most others equated to a lack of experience. If he claimed outright to be able to cure their master, they would think he was trying to sell them snake oil and chase him off.
‘Well, if it comes down to it, I can always sneak in. Though I must admit, it feels somewhat shameful to resort to such a method.’
Having to sneak into somewhere just to heal someone was something Izroth had never envisioned himself doing.
If he failed the quest, he would lose three levels as well as all favor and fame with Sychia and the Order of a Thousand Blossoms.
This was quite a light punishment for failing an SSS-ranked quest. Nevertheless, Izroth was not the type to invite failure. If he made up his mind to do something, then even if he had to move mountains and oceans to make it happen, he would not hesitate.
Sylvia glanced over at Izroth and the others before she returned her gaze to Sychia.
“How can you say such a thing? Master was still sick when I went into the Secret Realm, but she was still healthy enough to move around. At minimum, she should have months left. How can her health have deteriorated to this point within such a short span of time?” Sychia frowned with furrowed brows.
Sylvia released a heavy sigh as she shook her head and said, “I don’t know. That’s the problem, no one knows. Master’s health has always been poor for as long as I can remember, but Sy… This is the first time I’ve seen her like this. It’s serious.”
Sylvia’s eyes contained a hint of sadness as she spoke about her master’s condition.
Sychia’s entire expression sunk as her mind momentarily went blank. She knew her senior sister well. There was no way she would joke about something so severe. If she was like this, then it meant her master’s condition had truly reached a dangerous place. If that was the case, she did not have much time to act!
Sychia quickly snapped out of it as she looked over at Izroth before redirecting her gaze to Sylvia.
“Senior sister, I may have found someone who can cure our master,” Sychia stated as she clenched her fists.
Sylvia’s eyes widened in shock. However, a pitiful look soon found its way onto her face.
“I know that you want to do everything in your power to help our master, but there are some words you should not speak without a way of turning them into reality.” Sylvia sighed.
For a brief moment, Sylvia almost grabbed onto the straws Sychia cast into the water. But, she could not afford to drown in her own emotions and false hopes.
Unlike the others within the Order of a Thousand Blossoms, Sylvia had no time to be saddened by her master’s fate. If she did not stand strong now of all times, it would only be a matter of time before the Order of a Thousand Blossoms collapsed from within. For the sake of all of her sisters and those under the protection of the Order of a Thousand Blossoms, she could not entertain such hopes without absolute reason.
Sychia could sense the doubt from her senior sister and immediately tried to convince her.
“I do have a way! This person was even able to cure the poison I was affected by in the Secret Realm!” Sychia explained hurriedly.
“Then, we will have to reward this person properly. Still, who would dare to poison a Thousand Blossom Maiden?” Sylvia spoke in a cold tone.
“It is not of importance right now. What is important is that the person who helped me is here right now! Senior sister, you know that our master is a 7th-grade Apothecary. But, I’m afraid that even her pills do not contain the same level of purity as the one I consumed to cure my poison.” Sychia stated.
She then quickly followed up, “I know that it may seem that I am desperate to find a way to cure our master, and… It would not be wrong to say that is so. However, I do not allow my desperation to cloud my judgment. Senior sister, if not for my sake, then—at the very least, for our master’s sake, can you see the pill I consumed and decide for yourself?”
Sylvia closed her eyes and fell silent. She could not afford to waste any more time here. That being said, Sylvia knew that if she rejected Sychia’s request, it would form a demon in the young maiden’s heart.
“Very well. Since this is the first time I have seen you so adamant about something, I will help you see it through. But, make no mistake, junior sister. I make no promises to permit some unknown outsider to treat our master. Do I make myself clear?” Sylvia said as she locked her gaze onto Sychia.
“I understand,” Sychia said as she met Sylvia’s gaze.
“Oh? This girl… Just what happened in that Secret Realm for her to grow this much within such a short time?” Sylvia thought to herself as she unconsciously found herself smiling.
In the past, Sychia would lower her head or avert her gaze whenever she stared at her. Now, Sychia was meeting that same gaze head-on. Naturally, Sylvia could not help but feel proud of her growth. And, she was certain their master would feel the same way.
“It seems you have finally grown up, Sy.” Sylvia internalized.
…
Not long after Sylvia agreed to meet Izroth, Sychia officially introduced her senior sister to the group.
“Everyone, I apologize for the late introduction. This is my senior sister from the Order of a Thousand Blossoms, the First Sword of a Thousand Blossoms, Sylvia.” Sychia stated.
“It is a pleasure to meet all of you. On behalf of the Order of a Thousand Blossoms, I would like to thank you for looking out for my junior sister.” Sylvia said cordially as she cupped her fist.
Despite her stern personality, Sylvia did not present herself in an arrogant or overbearing manner.
“May I ask which one of you cured my junior sister of her affliction?” Sylvia inquired.
Although she asked, Sylvia already had her eyes locked onto Izroth. That was for two reasons.
The first had to do with how often Sychia would glance his way.
As for the second, she knew that it could not be the others by his side.
One of the people was clearly from the Wild Lands, who did not “believe” in things like pills or potions. They relied solely on the natural strength of their body and whatever nature provided them.
Sylvia also could not feel a single drop of mana or any type of energy coming from the other two individuals beside him no matter how hard she tried.
She was someone who had just stepped into the primary stage of the legendary realm. Even a person at the peak of the legendary realm would not necessarily be able to high their strength from her.
But, the important aspect was that without mana or some other form of energy, it was impossible to craft pills. Therefore, she ruled them out. In the end, this only left Izroth as the logical choice.
The next moment, Izroth stepped forward and cupped his fists.
“My name is Izroth. I am the one who gave the pill to your junior sister that cleansed the poison in her body.” Izroth stated in a carefree manner.
“You said Izroth?” Hearing that name caused Sylvia to furrow her brows. For some reason, she felt as if she had heard that name somewhere before. However, she could not quite put her finger on it.
“That is correct.” Izroth reaffirmed.
“Izroth… Izroth…” Sylvia muttered to herself as she seemed to fall into deep thought.
Then, it suddenly dawned on her where she heard that name.
“Izroth…! The winner of the second team’s selection—that Izroth?” Sylvia exclaimed.
